Single Item Taxes

[Kasz216]

akuma587 said:

Kasz216 said:

akuma587 said:

luinil said:

akuma587 said:

...taxes that target a specific activity are a phenomenal way to decrease that activity.

... and decrease liberty.

Is liberty always a good thing?  Should I be free to rob and kill people?  Should I be free to swindle people out of money?  Should companies be free to put harmful chemicals in the food they produce because they save money?  Should nuclear power plants be free to dump toxic waste in landfills?

Freedom is a great thing.  But too much freedom is a terrible thing.

 

Not really the same thing.

What if some politician decides that gay sex is harmful and starts taxing homosexual relationships?

(Anal sex actually does lower your immune system by the way.)

Heck they also lower population growth which is a problem for 1st world countries.

Taxing things because they're "harmful" isn't a good reason.

I'm not suggesting taxing everything that is harmful.  I'm for taxing things that are excessively harmful.

Do you honestly believe that anal sex costs our healthcare system as much as tobacco smoke?

And anal sex is a bad example too.  It would be impossible to enforce a tax on something like that.  And there is no money involved.  There would be nothing to tax.  What you are talking about is more of a civil penalty, not a tax.

 

It's the same difference.  Also our healthcare system is mostly private.  Even if it were government run... why does it make sense to penalize everyone for only those who get cancer?

Furthermore that's not where the money goes.  This tax for example is going to children's healthcare.  Not treating peopel with cancer.

And even if this was the case where it hurts our healthcare shouldn't there be a published study used to set the tax rate?  For all we know cigarrette taxes could (and likely are) pulling in way more then they are taking out of the government.